Reversible electric switch



Oct. 30, 1951 w, w, TURNER 2,573,514

REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Dec. 21, 1949 Ilium I lfiVGYItOT: William W; Turner,

H is Attorney Patented Oct. 30, 1951 REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC swi'rcn William W; Turner, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to e General Electric Company, a corporation of a New York Application December 21, 1949, Serial No. 134,263

The invention relates to electric switches, particularly encased auxiliary switches suitablefor gang mounting on circuit breaker operating mechanism or the like to perform various auxiliary controlling or signalling functions. In such service it may be necessary that some of the auxiliary switch units be normally closed and others be normally open in order t perform the required control or signal function. 7

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved simplified form of encased reversible switch unit having a biased operating member for biasing the switch contacts either normally closed or normally open merely by reversing these parts in the case with respect to the biased operating member.

Another object is to provide an improved reversible switch unit having an open front mounting case provided with a bias-ed push button mounted in the case to project from one side thereof and provided with interlocking means for removably and reversely mounting the stationary and movable contact parts inside the case in reverse operating relation with the biased push button to normally engage or disengage the switch contacts and with the cases of a plurality of the switch units adapted for gang mounting in alignment to close the side of each adjacentcase so as to hold the removable parts in proper operating relation and maintain all of the biased push buttons in alignment to be operated by'a common movable finger irrespective of whether the individual switch units are normally biased closed or open.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description of the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front view of an encased reversible switch unit embodying the improvements of the present invention with the removable contact parts assembled in the open front case to be normally biased open; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the reversible switch unit of Fig. l with the push button in section and showing the contacts closed when the push button is moved against its bias; Fig. 3 is a top view of a multi-stage switch showing the gang mounting of a plurality of switch units to close the case of each adjacent unit to hold the parts in operating relation with the contacts either normally biased closed or open'and with the end unit shown in section in order more clearly to reveal the details of construction of the biased-push button operating member and the reversiblymounted terminals; and Fig. 4 is a front view of the improved encased switch unit with the removably mounted parts assembled in the case so that the switch contacts are normally biased closed.

As shown in Fig. 1, the improved reversible switch unit indicated generally by the reference character I is provided with an open front case I I, preferably molded of suitable insulating mateto removably and reversely mount in cooper- 4 Claims. (Cl. 200-159) ating relation therein the stationary contact member I2, the movable contact memberl iiand the push button operating member l4 when the cover 15 is secured in place.

member l2 has alateral contact facing I2a at its lower end and is right-angled at its upper end into L shape to form an integral terminal for mounting one of the terminal binding screws l6 outside the case and is provided with opposite- 1y projecting stakes I! for sidewise removable nesting engagement with corresponding depressions 18 formed as shown in Fig. 3 at the bottom" of each of the spaced-apart slots l9 and-'20 through the upper end ofthe case M. The spaced apart slots 2| are provided for receivingthe binding screw [6. Thus,the stationary con-- tact member l2 may be removably and reversely mounted in either of the slots l9 or 20 with screw. It in the corresponding slot 2| formed in case M depending upon whether theswitch is to be' normally open or normally closed. i i

The movable contact member 3 is substan-v tially U-shaped with the contact facing |3a carr-ied laterally on the longer leg thereof and with the bend of the U, l3b, adapted to be reversely mounted on the pivot pin 2| with both legs of the U extending through the square aperture concave bottom wall 23 or may be removably.

' mounted therein so as to rotatably mount the bend |3b in the U-shap'ed movable contact;l 3 therebetween. The right-angled upper end |3c of the U-shaped movable contact member|3sis connected by the flexible conductor 24 withpan L-shaped terminal 26 carrying binding screw 15 that is substantially a duplicate of the stationary contact member l2 only without the contact facing and consequently is provided with duplicate,

the switch may be reversely mounted in easel I;

as shown in Fig. 4 in order to produce a normally closed switch whenever desired.

As more clearly shown in Fig. 3, the push button operating member M is provided with oppositely offset rectangular ends 30 and 3| with the central rectangular aperture 22 midway therebetween for receiving both legs of the reversible U-shaped" movable contact member [3 into operating relation therewith. The end 30 of the operating,

member l4 slides through a rectangular aperture formed in the sidewall of the case I I as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the oppositely.

oflset end 3| is removably and slidably mounted invan open'rectangular slot 33v formed in'th'e oppp csite side Wall of thcase I so that the project? ns d l.. eriisel ie are" ,r shbuii a Th bes-i As more clearly shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, the stationary contact ing spring has one end seated around theguide pin 36 foi'inefi'honwtl'ie operating member l4 and the other end seated inside a recess 31 formed in the side ofthe case I 1. member I4 is normally biased to operate the movable contact member 13 out of engagement with the stationary contact member t2 when the switch 7. parts are assembled as showninllligs. l and} i d the termin l 3 lmb f ES lg,

d; I as, cwnv nfl 'ii hil it s me time e sr r ne th yrshas q ii ia g e 'n r L on, t p o an 1 wi h t e. e be t i s through, the a er u 2. nt di s e at n membe 1- t s war' tlibat the 9 qflanyl' toolsthe sw tch s r d l o ve e t he a lilc wd si iq h a Shrine 5 W willtend n rmall lto ma ta im me s and J 3 i n circuit closing engagement so that these contacts will be disengaged when the operating m mb r 4, s o e a da ai s its bi T f such conversion, the front cover l5 must be re moved whereupon all the operating parts can be easily moved lateral y ou oi. e r o t n positions in the case H The 'yeshaped member l3 can then easily be reversely inserted through the aperture 22 in member Ulinto pivotal engage: ment with the pin 2! and, the parts 12 and 26 rs y s idin interlock n en a n i t slots l9 and ZOand the cover J5 replaced to hold all partsinrreverse operating relation in case J I withthe'terminal connection screws I6 readily accessible outside the case, V 7' V In the multi-stage auxiliary switch construction shown in Fig, 3, a plurality of duplicate. switchunits I!) having open frontcases Ila, lib, Hc stacked in alignment so that the back of one closes the 'front 'ofthe adjacent case with the front cover closing th'ejface. of the end case,

are gang mounted by. means of the through bolts 40 and'M which may be secured to a frame or bracket 42 of a circuit breakeroperating mechanism or the like. Inthis. way the push button ends 3-! of all units are aligned to bejointlyopere,

In this way the operating operating memberto engage the stationary contact' member in one position thereof upon movement of the operating member against its bias and to disengage the stationary contact member in the other position thereof upon movement of tam er-arias i'iimber against its bias.

2 An electric switch having in combination, a

'stationary;contactlinember, a movable contact 7 member, a-c ase havinga biased operating memher slidably mounted therein and. provided with an aperture for extension of the movable contact member therethrough, and said case having means for reversely mounting the stationary contact 7 member in two spaced-apart positions therein arid-means for reverselypivotihgthe mo -s. able contact member therein with themjemper extending throughth aperture in the operatf member for operation thereby to engage the sta= tio'nary contact iiiemb'er one positionme er upon movementer the operating member against its bias and to disengage the stationary contact member in theotlier position thereof'upon move: ment of the operating member against itslliija's.

3. An electricis'witcli havingih "combination, a stationary Contac member having an irrtgrai nerrnmar 'a movable 'tbhtact having "a terminal flexibly j'c'oiiii'ec ed therewitha casing having a biased member 'slidably'iiiounted therein and pro vided with shit means, for 'rvers'ely'm''nting'said terminals in two paced-apart positions and pivotal means for ieverseiy'pivefin the movable Contact" for apera ion by the piasedmmber to engage the stationary Contact member in one position of the integral 'tefr'nihah'thi'eof apan against its bias.

mo ement or the Biased member against its use and to disengage he Stationary Contact member in the other position of the integral terminal thereof upon movement of the biased'member I. An electric Switch having combihaticn, a stationary Contact member having a lateral cohtactfa'cing at one end'aiid a terminal'at the other 7 end, a niovableicbntact 'rn'eniber havi'n'g a lateral ated by a common operating member orfinger 43. 7

preferably formed of V resilient material and mounted on a pin 44 carried on an arm 45 extending from the shaft 46 seas to be moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 when the circuit breaker mechanism is closed and to the position shown in Fig. 2 when the circuit breaker mechanism is i Y open. Thus, all of the 'operating member 14 of therein and means'including a pivot pinengag'ea; able reversely with the bend -oi*the U'-sha'p''ec'l- "1 t fmembrflfor'reversely'pivoting 'the inpv fl able Contact membertherein an operation by' the contactfacing and a terminal flexibly connected therewith; a case hav ngan operating member slidably mounted therein and provided with bias ing means and said case having slot means "for reversely mounting the flexibly connected terminal, and the stationarycontact member in eitherof two spaced-apartipositions with the terminal outside the c'ase and with the lateral contact facing reversed inside the case and pivotal means for reversely pivotingthe movable contact member inside the case for operation by the operating member to engage the lateral contact facing thereon with-the lateral contact facing of the stationary contact-member'in one position thereof upon movement of the operating member against its bias and to disengage saidcon-taet facing in the other pos'ition oithe stationarycontact mem ber upon movement of the operating member, e-ma s a W.

sates 59 

